Martin Odegaard isn’t expected to return to action for Arsenal until after the November international break, according to a report.
Sami Mokbel reports for the BBC that Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard is not expected to return from his knee injury until after the November international break.
Arsenal didn’t previously set a timeline for Odegaard’s recovery, despite confirming the MCL injury.
But Mokbel reports that the midfielder will be out until late November at the earliest, with no confirmation that he’ll be available when Arsenal return from the November break against Tottenham Hotspur on November 23rd.
At a minimum, Odegaard will miss Premier League fixtures against Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Burnley (A), and Sunderland (A), Champions League fixtures against Atletico Madrid (H) and Slavia Praha (A), and a League Cup game against Brighton (H).
Mikel Arteta will be very keen to see Odegaard returning after that, as Arsenal face Spurs, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea in the space of a week.
With MCL injuries, a grade 1 injury typically means 1-2 weeks out, a grade 2 injury generally means 4-6 weeks, and grade 3 means 10+ weeks.
The current timeline unfortunately rules out a grade 1 injury, but the hope is that it’s only a grade 2 injury. If it’s grade 3, Odegaard would be out until mid-December at the earliest.